


Hot Cocoa

by hunters_retreat



Series: Story's End [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Dean raises Sam, John Dies, M/M, Sam and Dean lean on each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 16:17:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4486338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>   All he knew was Sam better get back with the hot chocolate soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Cocoa

 

Dean didn’t know what the hell he was doing here.  Hell, he should be at home.  Or maybe out with someone his own age, someone with long legs and a sweet smile.  He knew that.  But ever since his Dad’s death all he could think about was Sam.  He understood it was normal to be protective of the people in your life after you lost someone, but for Dean, who had started out more than a little on the protective side, it was more than that. 

Sam wanted this though, so here he was bundled up in the spare blanket he kept in the Impala because he hadn’t planned on spending the night in the bleachers.  All he knew was Sam better get back with the hot chocolate soon. 

He appeared a moment later, his smile bigger than Dean had seen it in a while.  He held plastic souvenir mugs with the school’s mascot on them and handed one off to Dean before joining him under the blanket.  “Remind me why I’m here instead of at home working on the database?” Dean murmured as he tried to regain the heat Sam had just let out of his little cocoon. 

“Because all work and no play makes Dean a cranky boy,” Sam said with a grin. 

Dean shook his head, but he had to take a sip of his drink to hide his smile.

Sam bumped his shoulder slightly.  “You ever do this before, Dean?” he asked.

Dean shook his head.  “Freeze so my crazy brother can go to a high school football game?  No.”

“Dean…”

“No, Sammy.  Come on.  I wasn’t ever really the team sport kinda guy, was I?”

Sam didn’t bother to answer.  They both knew he’d have done alright in something like that – hell, he’d probably have enjoyed it – but their lives hadn’t given him the chance and Dean never asked for anything for himself.  Dean was grateful that Sam didn’t say anything else and they turned their attention back to the game, cheering along with the rest of the people in the bleachers. 

Sam waved at some people from time to time and Dean had to make nice with one of the moms from Sam’s class but other than that they just enjoyed the game and laughed at the way people were getting so worked up over it.

When the football game ended Sam just sat sipping the rest of his hot chocolate.  Dean figured he’d want to go hang out with the other kids but he wasn’t going to push it.  It was nice to have Sam just sitting beside him, hanging out.  Between working for Leta, fixing up the house, and Sam’s school starting back up again he felt like he didn’t really get to see Sam anymore and when he did they were working on the database for Bobby. It felt good to just hang. 

They were some of the last people in the stands when Sam finally finished his mug and stood up.  “God, it’s too cold!” he complained.  Dean was standing with him and his brother almost knocked him over as he tried to get back under the blanket.

Dean laughed and wrapped an arm over Sam’s shoulder to keep him close enough to share the warmth.  “Good game,” he commented as they walked back to the field where the Impala was parked.  There were no other cars there and Dean was glad to see the grass around the Impala looked clean.  He’d parked as far as he could from the stadium, all too aware of what high school drivers could do to his baby. 

“Yeah, it was.  You think if things had been different…”

Sam trailed off but Dean knew what he was thinking anyway.  Sam didn’t usually voice it, but sometimes Dean could see the question in his eyes.  Sam had never known their father without the hunt.  Dean barely remembered it, but sometimes he woke from dreams that he knew were memories. 

“Yeah, Sammy.  If Mom had lived, it would have been more like this.  Dad used to like football; baseball even more.  He’d still have been a drill sergeant though.  We’d have been running sprints and practicing our throws or kicks or whatever, but he’d have been right there with us.”

Sam nodded his head as they walked but he pulled out from under the blankets when they got to the car.  Dean fumbled for the keys and threw the blankets on Sam’s side after he opened the driver’s door.  He started the Impala up to get the heater running before Sam had climbed in.  When he looked out the passenger side window, he could see his brother a few feet away from the car, just looking up. 

Dean got out of the car, resting his arms on the cold metal of the car’s roof.  “Sammy?”

“Can we just … stay for a while?”

There was something in his brother’s voice that made Dean think before answering.  He shook his head and sighed.  “It’s too damn cold to be stargazing,” he said but he was grabbing the blankets from the front seat anyway.  He threw them on the top of the hood and closed the door of the car, keeping her running to warm them up. 

He jumped up on the hood and settled under the blankets and Sam gave him that special smile, the one that was being directed at him more and more.  Dean wasn’t sure what that smile was but it was his alone and Dean loved seeing that smile on Sam’s face. 

“If you’re gonna make me freeze – again – you better get over here and help me stay warm.”

Sam scrambled over and up onto the car, settling at Dean’s side. 

“Thanks for coming with me tonight, Dean.”

“You know you could have gone with your friends, right?  After the game?”  Though Sam had been a loner after their father’s death the year before, his brother was making friends and hanging out with kids his own age again.  Dean knew it was a good sign.  He knew Sam needed to have a normal life, but it left Dean with nowhere to turn.  He couldn’t imagine picking up a girl and bringing her home and he wasn’t interested in the bar scene anyway.  He didn’t want to waste their hard-won money on booze.  Anything he had extra he was tucking away for a rainy day – or a college fund.  Whichever came first.  He was busting his ass though, making sure nothing happened to keep Sam from going to school if he wanted.

“Yeah, I know.  It’s just been really busy lately and I haven’t got to spend much time with you that wasn’t in passing or working on the database.  Besides, I was thinking maybe I could have some friends over sometime?  Just to study or watch a game or something?”

It wasn’t something their father would have allowed.  Back then, they’d always had weapons around and information about hunts that would have scared anyone else off, but it wasn’t like that now.  “Yeah.  Just let me know if you need some space. I can work late or go out.”

“No!”  Sam looked down sheepishly and Dean waited him out.  “I just … my friends want to meet you too.  I talk about you.  It’s not like they don’t know you’re taking care of me.”

“Goes both ways,” Dean admitted with a small smile.  “You’ve been taking care of me too.  And if you want me around, you know I’ll be there.”

Sam smiled as he looked up at Dean.  “Thanks for letting me have them over.  I actually …kinda invited them tomorrow.”

Dean looked at Sam, then let out a deep laugh.  “Sammy?”

“We have a test on Monday and we were all talking about studying so I offered.  I thought we could study and then watch the game.  You know, just typical teenage stuff.”

“Yeah Sam, I got it.  Typical teen stuff. No sneaking beers out of the fridge though.”  Sam made a shocked face and Dean laughed.  “Just typical stuff you said.”

“I’m not exactly a typical teen, you know?”          

“I raised you better than that,” Dean said with a grin.

Sam nodded and Dean let the conversation go, just staring up at the stars.  Dad had made them learn the stars so they could always navigate when they were training in the woods but it was one of the few lessons Sam had taken to without bitching.  He loved looking at the stars and learning the stories behind them.  Of course, Dad hadn’t taught them the stories.  Sam learned them himself and taught Dean what went behind them. 

“Good night for stargazing,” Dean said softly as he stared up at the Dog Star. 

“You did, you know?”

Dean looked down at Sam, completely confused by the non sequitur.   Sam wasn’t looking up at him, still keeping his eyes on the stars.  He did that sometimes, when he thought he was going to make Dean uncomfortable with his words.

“Raised me better.  You don’t have to worry so much.  You can go out and have a life Dean.  You don’t have to stay at home every night to make sure I’m alright.”

Dean took a deep breath and let his head rest back on the windshield.  “I know Sam.  I do.  Doesn’t mean I don’t like hanging out with you though.  Who’d have thought, huh?  Little brother, ward, pain in the ass, best friend; never thought they were synonyms until now.”

Sam let out a snort of laughter.  “Stop Dean.  You make me weak at the knees when you use that sort of language.”

“Synonym: Sam, jackass.”

Sam’s laughter was louder then and Dean let his own smile grow.  Neither spoke after that, but they continued to stare up into the sky.  Sam seemed lost in his thoughts and Dean couldn’t help but relax with Sam there beside him.  His own thoughts were about missed football games, the youth he never had, a shot at giving Sam those moments, and the knowledge that the best hot cocoa in the world was the kind shared under blankets with his brother.  And that was the truth, plain and simple. 

 

 


End file.
